Saugus 13s handle Peabody, reach EMass championship tournament

BEVERLY – First the 14s ? now the 13s. Apparently, Saugus is the new local Babe Ruth dynasty.A night after the 14-year-old all-star team won the District 1 title, the 13s grabbed their piece of the pie with an 8-5 win over Peabody at muggy and rainy Cooney Park.”This is unbelievable,” said Anthony “Coco” Gouthro, manager for the 13s. “I’m happy we’re following the same path as the 14s.”The next step is the Eastern Mass. championship tournament, to be held next weekend in South Boston.The game was delayed during the top of the fourth inning by a thunderstorm that delivered a glancing blow to Beverly – compared to what it did in other locales – and in an intermittent light drizzle thereafter. But nothing seemed to bother Saugus pitcher Nick Antonucci, who wiggled out of several jams en route to the complete-game victory.”He’s pitched gutsy like that all year,” said Gouthro. “In the regular season, and now in the tournament, he’s been very tough.”Saugus sprung out to a 5-0 lead after two innings, scoring three in the first and two in the second. Anthony Gouthro drew a walk to lead off the game, but was caught in a rundown on Dom DiPesa’s single to right. Antonucci singled DiPesa to third; Dan Trentch drove him in with a single. A groundout by Nick Enos brought another run home, and Cam Ferry’s base hit to left scored the third.Peabody loaded the bases in the top of the second, but Antonucci pitched his way out of it, striking out Steve Leavitt to end the inning.Saugus got two more runs in the second on a single by Antonucci and a force play by Trentch that scored DiPesa.The middle innings belonged to Peabody, which began its comeback before the rains came and completed it in the top of the sixth. Peabody made it 5-3 in the third when Jake Freedman and Nick Turco drew back-to-back walks and both scored on Pat Ruotolo’s triple to right. Chris Minter’s single scored Ruotolo.Peabody threatened in the fifth inning, but third baseman Ryan Hennehan made a terrific play to nail a runner coming to the plate. With runners at first and third, Minter hit a one-hopper to Hennehan, who faked the throw to first and threw home, catching Turco in a rundown.”He really saved us,” said Gouthro. “We practice that fake throw, and the rundown play, all the time.”Antonucci got out of that jam, but found himself in another one in the sixth – this time yielding two runs to tie the score. Mike McKenzie led off with a single and Max Gordon knocked him in with a triple. Moments later, Gordon scored while Drew Thiboudeau was striking out, coming home on a wild throw to third in an attempt to pick him off. Antonucci got the final two outs without further incident.The wheels fell off the Peabody wagon in the bottom of the inning, however. Anthony Finnochiaro bunted to lead off the inning, and he went to second on an errant throw. Gouthro’s single put runners on first and third, and Finnochiaro scored on an errant pickoff attempt to first – putting Gouthro on third.A wild pitch scored Gouthro, making it 7-5. DiPesa followed with a single, going to second on a groundout and taking third on a balk. After Trentch walked, he took off for second, drawing a throw to shortstop in an attempt for a quick return throw to get the runner at the plate. However, the play didn’t work, and DiPesa scored the eighth run.